TONY Blair yesterday told the Iraqi people their "day of freedom draws near" but refused to speculate on how long the conflict would last.

TONY Blair yesterday told the Iraqi people their "day of freedom draws near" but refused to speculate on how long the conflict would last.

The Prime Minister, speaking after a summit with US President George Bush at Camp David, said that victory for coalition forces was certain but there was "absolutely no point" trying to set a time limit on liberation.

But President Bush heralded the prospect of a conflict which could stretch out longer than anticipated as he warned, "it will take as long as it takes".

Despite the fastest armoured advance in military history, difficulties in overcoming pockets of resistance in strategic towns and cities in southern Iraq and slow progress in the push to Baghdad have raised concerns that coalition troops could be facing a conflict lasting months, rather than weeks.

Mr Blair said, "We have reached that particular point where people ask us to specify how much time it will take to do the job. The important thing is that the job will be done.

"We are just one week into this conflict; the 24-hour coverage may make it seem a lot longer than just a week but in that time a massive amount has already been achieved."

In their first meeting since the outbreak of war, both men repeated their determination to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

Mr Blair said, "Just one week into this conflict, let me restate our complete and total resolve. Saddam Hussein and his hateful regime will be removed from power, Iraq will be disarmed of its weapons of mass destruction, and the people of Iraq will be free. That is our commitment, that is our determination and we will see it done."

And President Bush echoed, "Slowly but surely, the grip of terror around the throats of the Iraqi people is being loosened."

The meeting was billed as a summit for peace and comes amid fears of a fresh split between the US and Europe over the political reconstruction of Iraq after war.

Mr Blair said the "imme-diate priority" was to ensure UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was given the power to restore the Oil for Food programme, which uses Iraq's oil profits to feed up to 16 million of the country's population reliant on food aid.

The issue threatens a fresh diplomatic rift between Britain and France, which has refused to back any humanitarian mission which implies support for the current military action.

Mr Blair, who flew to New York for a meeting with Mr Annan after the summit, warned, "This urgent humanitarian issue must not be politicised. The Security Council should give Secretary General Annan the authority to start getting food supplies to the people most needing assist-ance." And the Prime Minister sought to dampen concerns that the US would seek to impose its will on the political reconstruction of Iraq, by confirming that work would be carried out under the auspices of the UN and following a fresh resolution.

President Bush said, "Iraq's greatest need in the long term is a representative government that protects the rights of all Iraqis. The form of this government will be chosen by the Iraqi people, not imposed by outsiders."

The Prime Minister and President repeated their commitment to early publication of the "road map for peace" in the Middle East.

And there was fierce condemnation for the apparent execution of two unarmed British prisoners of war, which Mr Blair said was further evidence of the "depravity" of Saddam's regime.